


Strike the Shadows

by Silverblack013



Category: Naruto, RWBY
Genre: Ass-Kicking, BAMFs, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 13:56:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18605926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverblack013/pseuds/Silverblack013
Summary: Before the Vytal Festival, Ozpin realizes that they are massively overwhelmed and unprepared for what is coming, so he hires a team of shinobi to infiltrate and protect the school as transfer students from Mistral. What he doesn't expect, however, is a porn addict, two Uchihas and a mokuton user to be the elite team. The Sandaime must've been drunk when he assigned the mission.





	1. Chapter 1

Hello! Before you start reading, just know that this takes place a year or so before the Uchiha massacre, and during the Vytal Festival in Volume 3 of RWBY.

Approx ages:

Kakashi: 17 (He's supposed to be 21, but I aged him down for the purpose of the fic)

Itachi: 12

Tenzo: 15

Shisui: 16

Ruby: 15

Weiss: 17

Blake: 17

Yang: 17

 

The silver haired man tapped his cane absentmindedly, making his way up the winding stairs of Beacon. Pushing his glasses up with his other hand, he stopped. "Kai." There was a soft hiss, and the semi translucent wall split, revealing a hidden room. Stepping inside with a calm ease, he tapped his cane twice, sealing the room in the process.

"Ozpin. Verification code 180713. Konohagure no Sato."

The room lit up with a blue glow as a disembodied voice responded. "Identification confirmed. State your message."

There was a pause. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow shall illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."

The lights flickered red for a moment, before the disembodied voice replied. "Link activated."

Half way across the world, the indicator lying on the desk beeped, glowing a bright red before diminishing its light. The man on the other end chuckled. "It's been a long time, Oz. About damn time too."

______________________

Thwack!

The shuriken embedded themselves into the center of the targets strewn across the field. Itachi stood, the tomoes in his eyes spinning dangerously. "Sharingan." With the grace of any shinobi, he launched himself into the air, flinging the multitude of sharp projectiles towards the targets hidden in the tree.

Landing gently, his hands immediately went for his kunai pouch. "Who's there?" The boy asked, the leaves rustling ominously. "Answer me."

A hearty chuckle followed. "Relax, it's me." A figure stepped out of the shadows. "No need to be so tense all the time, Itachi."

The boy relaxed. "Oh, it's just you, Shisui. What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, just taking a look around you know…" Shisui flashed Itachi a grin, and the younger boy huffed, puckering his lips in a pout. "Just tell me what it is that you want."

Shisui laughed, ruffling his hair. "I just wanted to congratulate my little cousin for getting into ANBU."

Itachi blushed slightly at the praise. "It's nothing that you couldn't do."

"Ah! How touching!" Shisui sighed dramatically, placing his hands over his heart. "But on a more serious note, there is something I came to talk to you about."

"Yes?" Itachi's expression turned more somber. "Is it about the…?"

"No, no, no, no…" Shisui laughed uneasily. "It's nothing to do with the clan. Actually, I think it's probably to get us away from the clan. The Sandaime requested the both of us to meet in his office as soon as possible for a mission."

"A mission?" Itachi cocked his head. "Now?"

"Yup." Shisui scratched his hand nervously. "Although I don't think now is the best time for it. You kinda stink."

"Oh shut it, you."

_____________________

The copy ninja giggled, his nose stuck in his little orange book.

"Senpai, stop reading that trash." The wood nin said exasperatedly. "You're a bad influence on the children."

"Maa, maa, don't be such a stuck up, Tenzo." Kakashi continued, his eyes skimming over the pages in perverted glee. "You just don't know the meaning of fine literature, that's all."

Tenzo sighed, already used to his senpai's antics. "The Sandaime is requesting the both of us for a mission. He specifically asked you to be there on time."

Kakashi raised a lazy eyebrow. "Is that so?" Flipping his book closed, he waved off the accusation with a nonchalance that could only be described as 'Kakashi'. "Tell him I'll be there soon."

"The Sandaime said now, senpai!" Tenzo called, knowing that his words fell on deaf ears. Sometimes, he wondered why he even bothered with Kakashi.

2 hours later, the copy nin found himself in the Hokage's office, the Sandaime himself looking exasperated. "Sorry, I'm late." Kakashi eye-smiled. "You see, there was this old lady crossing the road and –"

"Save it, Kakashi." Sarutobi Hiruzen ran a hand over his face. He may be a shinobi legend, but even he was no match for the copy nin's lateness. I'm getting too old for this. He thought. I really need to retire.

"Now that we're all here," The Sandaime continued (deciding to ignore the indignant huff from Kakashi), "We can get started. Kakashi, Shisui, Tenzo and Itachi, I have summoned you here for a very important mission that can only be completed by the likes of you." He sighed, setting down his hat on his desk. "This is a high risk mission, with the success rate being less than 50%, so if any one of you would like to leave now, you are quite welcome to." No one moved.

The Sandaime smiled grimly. "Good." Moving his hat to the side, he placed a strange looking device on the table. "This is a hologram display from the world of Remnant." The man said, sliding his fingers across the small flat device. "You've probably never heard of it, since they are relatively hostile to outsiders, along with the fact that they are island nations surrounded by dangerous creatures called the Grimm." With a beep, the machine lit up with a blue glow.

The Sandaime spoke. "Sarutobi Hiruzen. Verification code 031002. Beacon."

A disembodied voice replied, startling the 4 shinobi in the room. "Identification confirmed. State your message."

The Sandaime paused. "All are expected to serve humanity... and never succumb to the darkness."

The device blinked red. "Link activated. Connecting to code 180713." The device glowed brightly, light filling up the entire room. Almost immediately, hands went for kunai pouches and thigh holsters. "Relax, friends, it's just a harmless little toy." The Hokage smiled bemusedly.

"Scans complete. Audio and movement synchronization complete." The disembodied voice spoke again. "Accessing Beacon in 3, 2, 1…"

"Accessing Konohagure no Sato in 3, 2, 1…" A thin projection appeared, silver light spilling onto the walls. The crinkled face of Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared amongst the projection. The Hokage smiled. "It's been quite a long time, Ozpin."

Ozpin smiled. "Indeed, Hiruzen."

The Hokage chuckled mirthfully, before turning to face the assembled shinobi. "This, is Professor Ozpin, a professor at Beacon Academy."

"How do you do?" Ozpin tilted his head in an amicable fashion.

"He's an old friend of mine, but recently, a situation in his world has gotten out of control, and therefore I am sending your squad to deal with the issue."

Ozpin stepped forward. "Most of you have probably never heard of the Grim, or the World of Remnant, so let me keep this brief and concise. I come from a world where dark creatures called the Grim run rampant. They are creatures with no souls, and are drawn to negative energy, feelings such as envy, sadness, loneliness or neglect.

"Recently, there has been a rise in Grimm activity, and I believe that there are greater forces at play. Forces that could mean war." Ozpin paused. "I don't believe our world is ready for that. Remnant is still growing, its people still dependant our Hunters and Huntresses, dependant on the substance we call Dust."

"This is why we need a team, well versed in both infiltration and combat to provide us with extra support when the war does break out. Our sources say that our enemies will be infiltrating the upcoming Vytal Festival, which unites all 4 nations in a show of harmony and millitary might. You will be sent in to ensure the safety of the city, as well as to collect intel on our enemies, whoever they may be."

"You will be undercover, posing as transfer students from one of the eastern islands, or Mistral, as they call it." Sarutobi continued. "Your hometown was destroyed by the Grimm, but because you showed an aptitude for combat, you were all trained privately to become Huntsmen. You will join Beacon Academy under that alias, and compete in the tournament." He shot them a wary glance. "Please try to be discreet as possible. The nations of Remnant know nothing of our world, and I would like to keep it that way."

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. Now if there are no questions, I believe my subordinate will be coming to pick you up soon via airship."

There was no time for the shinobi to wonder what the hell was an airship, when a large shadow descended over the room. "Speak of the devil." Ozpin continued. "That's your ride."

Sarutobi nodded. "I'll send a message to your families and friends notifying them of your mission. All expenses regarding food or equipment will be provided. Kakashi, you'll be the captain of the mission. Try to return home in one piece." The Hokage commented dryly. "Good luck."

"Yes sir." The four shinobi nodded, vanishing in a shunshin.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Ozpin said with a sigh. "Shinobi are so... hardened."

Sarutobi smiled humourlessly. "War does that to people."

Ozpin found himself nodding in agreement. "I hope we are ready for what is coming, then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The door clicked shut behind the huntress, leaving the 4 shinobi to their devices. 
> 
> “… Well.” Kakashi flipped his book closed, his uncovered eye glancing at his teammates. “Let’s get to work.”

Itachi stared out of the glassy window overlooking the vast expanse of the cerulean ocean they were currently flying over. He briefly wondered whether Sasuke would’ve been interested in the flying contraption. He’s probably angry that I left without saying goodbye, Itachi thought, propping his head against the window. I haven’t even had a chance to train with him yet…

“Stop looking so depressed all the time, ‘tachi.” Shisui admonished, interrupting his thoughts. He reached up to ruffle his hair. “Just think of this as a nice long vacation away from home, ‘kay?”

“Maa, now that won’t do.” Kakashi, the team captain stepped out from the cockpit, still engrossed in his orange book. “We are on a mission after all, we do need to retain some semblance of professionalism.”

“Senpai, it seems very hypocritical for you to say that whilst you read that trash.” Tenzo retorts. “Professionalism, my ass.”

Kakashi looked vaguely offended. “I’ve told you, my cute little kouhai, you simply do not understand the meaning of true literature.”

“Ahem.” The shinobi were brought out of their musings by a sharp cough. “Good afternoon… gentlemen.” The speaker paused briefly at the word, noting that most of the team looked younger than her own students. “I am Glynda Goodwitch, a professor at Beacon Academy. I will be your guide, and one of the few who will know your true identities.”

Itachi took a moment to analyze the professor. She wore a white blouse, paired with black leggings and purple cape. She clutched a short crop – No doubt her weapon of choice, albeit an odd one. Her hands were mostly unblemished, and she didn’t seem particularly muscular, which meant she had to be some sort of long ranged fighter, a mage perhaps? Her blonde hair was laced together by an updo that looked rather complicated yet practical, which suggested that she did occasionally fight, or at least provided support for more close ranged fighters.

“As you have probably been told, the four of you will be participating in the Vytal Tournament for Beacon, under the guises of transfers.” Goodwitch continued as if she didn’t notice Itachi’s gaze. “You will scout for information, and protect the students or civilians if the need arises.” She pulled out several storage scrolls, and gestured to the lockers. “Everything you may need will be in there. Additional intel on people and locations will also be provided in these scrolls.” She tossed them each a flat mobile device that looked more like a tablet than an actual scroll. “We arrive at Beacon in 5 minutes, so I advise you to hurry.”

The door clicked shut behind the huntress, leaving the 4 shinobi to their devices. 

“… Well.” Kakashi flipped his book closed, his uncovered eye glancing at his teammates. “Let’s get to work.”

___________

To say that Winter was angry was an understatement. Furious, enraged or seething would be more accurate. 

Her day had started off decent; General Ironwood had sent her to Beacon, and whilst she did have to watch her sister stumble through the preliminary fights, it had been good to talk to Weiss after so many years.

Of course, all that had been thrown out the window upon meeting this infuriating man.

Qrow smiled crookedly, amusement gleaming in his red eyes as he parried her blow by blow. He was so close that she could smell the alcohol in his breath, see the annoyance in his expression as she landed a blow on him.

Aha! She thought triumphantly. That’ll teach you to – Oh shit.

Winter barely had time to dodge his next strike, as he effortlessly flipped backward, sword/scythe digging into the ground to slow his momentum, his eyes still glinting with that mocking light. Come at me. He seemed to say.

Winter felt that twinge of annoyance snap. How dare he.

Stabbing her sword into the ground, her glyphs emerge, manifesting into a storm of snowy birds that blinded her opponent, circling and clawing. Qrow seemed mildly annoyed. A quick slash from his blade/scythe forced her out of her circle, breaking her enchantment.

Not to worry. A second glyph emerged behind Winter, glowing even brighter than the previous. I’ll teach this man a lesson.

With a speed too quick for the eye, she darted forward, sword raised to deliver the finishing blow and –

Ching!

“I suggest you to stay still, Ms. Schnee.” A young voice sounded behind her, and she felt the cool sting of metal kiss her throat. “It wouldn’t do for you to be hurt.”

Winter’s eyes darted backwards. Her captor was young, younger than Weiss, with dark curly locks and spinning red eyes. She shivered. A quick glance forward saw Qrow in the same predicament, except his captor was even younger, with long dark hair tied back in a low pony tail.

“Who are you?” She questioned. Her brows furrowed when there was no reply. “Answer me!”

The only response was the blade digging even deeper into her skin. “Please lower your weapons.” The boy said. “There are simply too many students here. If you wish to fight, you may do so elsewhere.”

“And who do you think you are to order me around?” Winter couldn’t help but snarl. “I’m an Atlesian specialist. I answer to no one but General Ironwood—”

“That wasn’t a request.” The blade dug deeper and Winter could feel blood welling up from the point of contact. Shit, she had forgotten to reallocate her aura for defense. “Lower your weapons.”

“Shisui! Itachi! Release them!” An unfamiliar voice called. The two boys immediately fell back. “Hai, taichou.”

“Maa, maa, no need to be so serious.” The speaker was a young man, with a mop of hair that defied gravity and a mask that covered most of his face. “I apologize for my team, but you two were making a big mess in a public space.” His tone of voice oozed with casual confidence, his body posture stuck in an almost lazy slouch, and yet he moved with a fluidity that screamed danger. “See,” he gestured at the crowd that was starting to inch away. “You’re scaring the students away.”

“Mr. Hatake is right.” Winter looked up to see Ozpin, followed by General Ironwood, who did not look very happy. She swallowed. “Now, there is a sanctioned fight just round the corner at the Coliseum, that I can assure you has better seats.” Ozpin paused. “And popcorn.”

The crowd dispersed at the Headmaster’s words, some students lingering longer, whilst others left immediately.

“Winter!” General Ironwood snapped, and the heiress winced.

Oops.

___________________

It was safe to say that Qrow was mildly annoyed.

Scratch that, he was VERY annoyed.

The Atlesians had come gallivanting into Beacon, without giving a flying fuck about discretion, dismissing his intel without a second glance. And to top it all off…

“You hired them?” Qrow pointed accusingly at the assembled shinobi. “Oz, do you have any idea wh—”

“Yes. I do.” Ozpin interrupted. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made that decision.” He sighed heavily. “Qrow, the enemy is here. You know this. The truth is that we aren’t ready.”

“Yes, but you hired shinobi?” Qrow sounded slightly incredulous. “You know what they are! They are mercenaries! Children taught to fight and kill for money!”

“With all due respect, Mr. Branwen, I don’t see the problem.” The captain, (Hatake?) spoke up. “If it truly is a war that you will soon be fighting, you will need all the help you can get. We are the best amongst the best, the elite of our village. I think you’d find us overqualified to fight a war.”

Ironwood snorted. “The elite? Please, you’re mere children.” He flicked his hands dismissively. 

“Oh? Is that what you think of us?” Surprisingly, it was the youngest shinobi (Itachi, if Qrow remembered correctly) who spoke up. “You do realize who we are, don’t you? We shinobi are the best in our line of work, which is why our existence remains a state secret.” His voice was mild, as if he were discussing the weather. “I may be 12, but I’ve killed more people than you can count, and survived against opponents double or triple my age.” His eyes flashed red. “I believe we are more than qualified for this mission.”

Ironwood refused to back down. “I don’t believe you know what this mission entails, Mr Uchiha.”

“This,” he gestured towards the hologram of the Atlesian military, “Is what we need. The people of Vale need someone to protect them. When they look to the skies and see my fleet? They will feel safe. And our enemies will fear our strength.”

Hatake frowned. “Is that so?” The teen paused in contemplation. “Because when I look up to your little army, I don’t see hope, I see fear.” The room seemed to pause. “I wonder what exactly it is that we are fighting. An ordinary invasion would not warrant such a fleet. This leaves only the option of war. But the question is: Against whom?”

“The Grimm are not organized enough to declare war upon humanity, and neither are the faunus extremists. This leaves a third party that my team and I do not know of. I can surmise that the third party must be intelligent enough to survive, and powerful enough to direct the other two groups to do their bidding to some extent. However, they must also be secretive enough to operate under the radar and hide from your sight, which is why we do not have as much intel as we would like, am I right?”

Kakashi’s gaze lowered almost lazily, settling on the Huntsmen, who remained silent. He took that silent as a yes. “It seems to me that the enemy that we are fighting is a lot stronger what you have expected and what you have prepared for, which is why my team is here.”

“I can assume that there will be an attack on Beacon sometime in the near future as I have been warned, but what will be the objective of the attack? I can assume that it is not for monetary or materialistic values, as Beacon is a school, not a bank. I can also assume that it will not be an assassination or abduction of student/staff, as that would be rather difficult to carry out due to the terrain, and the sheer amount of people. I believe the most likely objective would be to attain a treasure or perhaps a power that can only be found in Beacon. No sane person would choose to attack a city crawling with huntsmen during the Vytal Festival, unless they were fully confident that they would succeed, or had no other option.”

Kakashi’s eyes darted around the room. “Now I know that the four of you are much more than just teachers or drunkards, but the exact nature of your other job still remains a mystery to me at least.”

“And it shall remain that way, at least for now.” Ozpin interjected. “Thank you, Kakashi, for your insightful input.”

The copy nin nodded slightly, and Ozpin continued, this time addressing the team of ninja as a whole. “Report to the coliseum tomorrow at 0900 hours. I believe your match will be starting then. Try to refrain from displaying too much of your abilities – You are to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Additionally, you are to collect information regarding the coming conflict in any way you see fit. Any information you uncover must be reported directly to me. Dismissed.”

“Yes sir.” The four replied, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Qrow’s jaw dropped. “Did they just --?” 

“Don’t ask Qrow. Don’t ask.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And the biomes have been chosen!” Oobleck announced. “This is beginning to look like a promising match!” Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, his visible eye curving in an eye-smile.
> 
> “Aaand, 3, 2, 1, begin!”
> 
> The shinobi’s stances shifted. Showtime.

“Welcome back to the Vytal Festival Tournament!” Port’s booming voice swept across the Coliseum. “This is the last team match, before we move on to the doubles. This most certainly is very exciting, isn’t it, Professor?”

“Doctor.” Oobleck corrected irritably. “But yes, it most certainly is. Now let’s introduce the teams, shall we? From Beacon, we have Cardin, Russel, Dove and Lark, Team CRDL (Cardinal)!” The audience cheered loudly when the team stepped into the arena. “And representing Sanctum of Mistral, we have Kakashi, Itachi, Tenzo and Shisui… Team KITS (Kitsune)!”

From a balcony above, Shisui’s eyes flickered red. “Sharingan.” He whispered, the tomoes spinning hypnotically. “Genjutsu.” Within seconds, the illusion settled, and the elder Uchiha nodded. “Done.”

Kakashi nodded. “Good.” He replied, readjusting his hitai-ate so that it remained firmly over his borrowed Sharingan. “Let’s move.” Releasing the chakra that kept them glued to the ceiling of the coliseum, the four shinobi landed almost silently into the arena, before rising to greet their opponents. The spectators burst into thunderous applause.

“Don’t tell me that these runts will be our opponents?” The tall stocky ginger stepped forward, a mocking grin plastered on his face. “This will be even easier than I thought.” His teammates snickered. “You should go easy on them, Cardin.” The blue haired one sneered. “The small one looks weaker than my little sister.” The team guffawed.

“Maa, maa,” Kakashi raised his hands up in a placating gesture. “We just want a good match, no need to get personal, ne?”

There was no time to reply as the holographic displays lit up, choosing the two biomes that the match would be fought at. There was a sudden shift along the ground, and the arena’s floor shifted, revealing a vast expanse of ocean, and a dense stretch of forest.

“Now,” Kakashi shifted discretely, leaning closer to his team, his voice hushed. “Remember, semblances and taijutsu only.” His team nodded, remembering the rules they had set before the match.

 

Before the Tournament:

“As Ozpin had said yesterday, we will need to limit our own abilities.” Kakashi finished the silencing seal in their quarters before he continued. “This means no overly destructive jutsu, or flashy moves that cannot be explained.”

Pulling out his scroll, he pulled up a holographic display of the arena. “The audience will be situated around the coliseum, which means they will have a full view of all our capabilities. Shisui,” The elder Uchiha snapped to attention. “If possible, please cast a minor genjutsu around the arena before the start of the match to cover up any slipups that may occur.”

“Apart from that,” Kakashi assumed his ‘thinking’ pose. “You may know that the people of Remnant use their aura instead of chakra, which takes the form of a ‘semblance’, a unique ability that can be anything from clones to speed. Think of it as a kekkei genkai. However,” Kakashi paused here, his gaze briefly lingering on each shinobi. “Each huntsman only has one semblance. If we display too many ‘semblances’, that would seem suspicious.”

“This means that we will have to limit ourselves to one jutsu only.” Here, Kakashi paused again, surveying the reactions of his team. “Itachi, your ‘semblance’ will be your Katon jutsu. You are also allowed to activate the Sharingan if the need arises. We will pass that off as a hereditary trait.”

“Tenzo, your ‘semblance’ will be your Wood Release. Be careful not to tear up the ground too much, and only use it if we are allocated a forest terrain.”

“As for you, Shisui, your ‘semblance’ will be your speed, or your Shunshin.” At this, Shisui grinned. “Just remember that there are also others who also have a similar ability, so be careful not to let any details about it slip. You are also allowed to use your Sharingan if necessary, but avoid using the Mangekyou.” Kakashi turned to address the team. “Is that clear?”

The three shinobi nodded. 

“Good. You may use genjutsu if necessary, but try and limit yourselves only to taijutsu. Under no circumstances are you to maim or kill the opponent. Any questions?”

There was a pause. “Yeah.” Surprisingly, it was Tenzo who spoke up. “What’s your semblance?”

Kakashi eye-smiled. “You’ll have to find out for yourself.”

 

“And the biomes have been chosen!” Oobleck announced. “This is beginning to look like a promising match!” Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, his visible eye curving in an eye-smile.

“Aaand, 3, 2, 1, begin!”

The shinobi’s stances shifted. _Showtime._

_______________________

Thank god there are trees. Tenzo cheered inwardly.

Dense vegetation normally meant cover and hiding spaces – Great for ambushes and traps, perfect for ANBU teams like them. For a wood ninja such as himself, however, trees were practically his life line in a combat situation.

When the Professor had announced the match start, the shinobi had immediately retreated into the forest, stringing traps of ninja wire and exploding tags as they went along. “Stick together as a team.” Kakashi ordered. “We have the advantage of this being our home turf.”

“Hai, Taichou.” They replied, just as the first series of traps were set off by an unlucky member of Team CRDL. The explosions were deafening, and Tenzo had to send an extra surge of chakra to plug his ears from the noise. When the dust finally settled, an eerie silence followed, the arena impossibly still.

Tenzo leapt down from the trees, landing lightly in a crouch. Close by, he felt the others do the same. Don’t let down your guard. Kakashi signed in ANBU sign language. They are still out there.

No shit. Tenzo thought, just as the stocky ginger (with singed hair and armour) came barreling towards at the copy ninja, mace held high. There was no time for more thought though, the wood ninja soon found himself narrowly dodging a swipe from the opposing team’s swordsman. Flipping out a kunai, Tenzo caught the next blow, feeling his blade shudder from the impact.

The shinobi quickly took this time to assess his opponent. Strong swing, probably a close combat fighter. Tenzo circulated more chakra into his kunai, preventing the blade from cracking before pushing back, following up with a slash to the throat that would’ve been fatal if his opponent had not blocked it with his weapon.

Quick reflexes, though a bit slow to follow up with an attack. Tenzo thought. A defensive fighter then? Leaping backwards, the shinobi analyzed his options. I don’t think it would be a good idea to reveal my wood release too soon, but a taijutsu spar against a close combat specialist is not a good idea either.

A quick glance at his teammates revealed Shisui zipping around the blue haired axe wielder, Itachi pummeling the dagger user, and Kakashi still engrossed in his porn, all the while dodging the heavy handed blows from the mace user (his opponent looked positively infuriated).

His exasperation at his captain’s antics was short lived as he dodged another slash, followed by a lunge. “Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got.” His opponent mocked. “If all you’re going to do is zip around like a fucking fairy, at least put up a fight, will you?”

Tenzo didn’t respond to the taunts – He was a professional for God’s sake; he wasn’t going to let a few silly words disrupt his focus. Twirling the kunai in his grip, he shot forward with the ease of any assassin, pumping chakra into his feet to move even quicker. There was no hesitation as he began his flurry of attacks. A swipe here, a thrust there, and soon his opponent could no longer keep up with the pace. The swordsman had to reallocate his aura for defense instead, giving Tenzo the time to think of how to combat his opponent.

I can assume that his sword is also some sort of a gun, as most weapons in Remnant are. I will need to take down his firing pin, before disabling him entirely.

Tenzo’s opponent swung forward, and the ninja dodged with ease, fingers digging into his kunai pouch. He flung the multitude of sharp objects towards the swordsman, who didn’t even bother deflecting them, what with his semblance protecting him.

What he didn’t realize was that attached to the kunai, were several exploding tags.

“Katsu.” Tenzo muttered, and the pieces of paper lit up, resulting in a mini explosion that temporarily blinded and deafened his opponent. The swordsman was launched backwards by the shockwave, and Tenzo quickly took the opportunity to fling another volley of senbon at his opponent’s weapon, easily disabling the firing mechanism within his sword. The swordsman was quick to get back up on his feet, but the delay had already provided Tenzo with all the time he needed.

Snake, Rat, Dragon, Dog, Tiger. Mokuton: Jubaku Eiso! (Wood Style: Tree Bind Eternal Burial) Thick chunks of wood forced their way out of the ground, wrapping around the opponent in a firm and steely grip.

“Forfeit.” Tenzo stated, stepping calmly towards his prisoner. “These bonds are inescapable.”

His opponent ceased his struggles for a moment. “Fuck you.” He spat, before continuing his attempts with a renewed vigor. Tenzo simply sighed, whipping his kunai handle across his opponent’s face, knocking him out cold.

One down, three to go.

___________________

Shisui had been pretty happy with himself that morning. He’d remembered to stretch out his limbs the night before, leaving him more flexible for the day. The illusion he had placed on the arena before the match was also proving to be no problem for him, barely taking much out of his chakra reserves.

Shisui knew he was in tip-top condition for the match – Which was why he had been pretty disappointed when he realized his opponent would be unable to put up much of a fight.

His opponent was obviously a heavy hitter, with the large axe and muscular arms. However, when matched against a person who’s speed was second only to the Yondaime Hokage, it didn’t matter if you could hit hard – There was no way you would be able to hit him anyways.

And so whilst Shisui zipped around the arena, leading his opponent on a wild goose chase, he took note of his teammates’ status. Tenzo was practically done with his opponent, and Kakashi wasn’t even trying (something that his opponent took great offense to). Itachi had begun to duel his dagger wielding opponent on the water, seemingly oblivious to the gasps of shock and bewilderment of the crowd.

Shisui shrugged, deciding to finish his match. Shunshin-ing to the edge of the arena, he allowed his weary opponent to catch up, before reappearing behind him. Delivering a well-placed kick on his back, the axe wielder fell forwards, and out of the ring.

“Elimination by knock out!” The commentator/Professor announced. “Sky Lark, along with his teammate Dove Bronzewing, is out of the match.” Oobleck readjusted his glasses as he gushed. “Those were some interesting semblances and strategies down there from Team KITS. Did you see those moves, Peter? Spectacular! Truly spectacular!”

“Yes, yes! Marvelous, that’s what it was!” The coliseum seemed to agree, bursting thunderous applause.

Shisui grinned, waving cheekily to the spectators. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

______________________

Weiss was decidedly impressed.

The final team of the day was good. Scratch that, they were brilliant.

The four huntsmen-to-be moved with such grace and cohesiveness that the heiress had a hard time believing that they were of the same age, if not younger than her.

When the Professor announced match start, she had been surprised to see them retreating into the woods. That had all been forgotten when the first series of bombs went off, deafening the stadium with the blast. She stifled her gasp of shock, and hoped that both teams were alright.

When the smoke cleared, she watched the stockiest member of Team CRDL rushed forward, smashing into his silver haired opponent. Weiss winced. That blow must’ve hurt.

The man hardly seemed winded though, flipping out of harm’s way with a nonchalant attitude. He seemed to stop for a moment, sizing his opponent up… Before whipping out an orange little book whose font and title seemed to suggest it’s content was to be of a more… salacious nature. 

But before Weiss could contemplate the odd choice of reading material, there was a loud boom as more bombs exploded, blinding and stunning the swordsman from Team CRDL. His opponent swiftly dispatched him in that time, encasing him in what looked to be like wood, before knocking him out cold.

“Oh my gosh, Weiss did you see that?” Ruby gushed, excitable as ever. “He just did these weird hand thingies and the ground exploded and it was SO COOL!” She mimed a sequence of sign language, followed by a loud exploding noise.

“Elimination by knockout!” The commentator announced, glee evident in his voice. “Sky Lark, along with his teammate Dove Bronzewing, is out of the match!”

Weiss was stunned. Two members eliminated!? They barely lasted 5 minutes!

“Woohoo! Way to go!” Yang cheered. “Kick their ass, Kitsune!”

Weiss just watched in wonder as the youngest member leapt into, or rather onto the water, ignoring the gasps of surprise whilst he continuously hurled sharp projectiles as his opponent.

The wiry member of CRDL deflected the shower of knives, using his dagger to bat away as many as he could, his aura protecting him from the rest. When the hail of sharp projectiles stopped, he staggered to his feet, laughing cockily at the impassive dark haired boy.

Weiss thought it was strange that the 4 members of Kitsune were so skilled, especially at their young age. It was even stranger that they seemed immovable, their faces etched in stone, concealing any emotion they deemed as a weakness.

The laughing from the member of CRDL abruptly stopped as he was hoisted effortlessly in the air, suspended by invisible strings. He struggled and thrashed, attempting to break free from his bonds. His opponent watched silently, flexing his fingers as the thin wires wrapped around the knife wielder tightened.

There was a long period of silence, broken only by the choking gasps of the member of CRDL, struggling from the lack of oxygen, and the pressure on his windpipe. Eventually, his body went lax, his head lolling backwards as he slipped into unconsciousness.

His opponent’s fingers twitched and the wires trapping him loosened, allowing him to fall to the floor. The solemn moment was interrupted by a loud yell, followed by a painful screech.

“A thousand years of death!”

___________________

Kakashi retracted his fingers, brushing off the imaginary lint of his trousers. There was a loud thwack as his unfortunate victim flew straight into the force field surrounding the arena. A loud blaring sounded, marking the elimination of the final opponent.

“Aaaand, Team KITS wins with an overwhelming victory!” The professor/commentator announced. “With the team intact as well, in what has got to be the cleanest, and quickest matches we’ve seen yet! Truly a marvelous, marvelous match!” The stadium roared its agreement.

Kakashi took this spare time to sneak a glance at the wide screen that was currently displaying their ‘aura’ levels. (The copy nin had secretly gotten Ozpin to read their chakra levels instead) He, along with Itachi had used less than a fraction of reserves, whereas Shisui and Tenzo had used up an eighth. Not too bad he supposed.

The shinobi stole a glance at the audience, who were still cheering loudly. Finding a CCTV amongst the throngs of people, he eye-smiled, raising his hand in a mocking little wave, knowing that Ozpin was behind the camera.

Ah. _This is fun._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Copy that, taichou.” Tenzo fixed his mask firmly over his face. “I’ll return in a few days or so, then. Divide and conquer?”
> 
> “Divide and conquer.”
> 
> And without another word, the shinobi slipped into the shadows.

Ruby had definitely enjoyed that match, although she couldn’t really tell what had been going on. She just knew that it had been absolutely badass, and that was all she really needed to know.

“It was like, boom, ka-pow! And then bam! They were down!” Ruby chattered, her eyes still glued to the game. “You should’ve seen it Uncle Qrow! They took out team CRDL so quickly, it was so cool!”

“Huh,” her uncle chuckled darkly. “Is that so?”

“Uh huh. Sis is right!” Yang interjected. “They were really fast, and there was this kid who could walk on water, and this guy who jammed his fingers up Cardin’s ass!” She chortled. “He had to spend the next few weeks in hospital with a bruised anus, but man, that was really funny.”

“Well glad you two liked the show.” Qrow replied, fingers rapidly jamming on the ‘punch’ button. “But I’d like you to stay away from that team. In fact,” his voice lowered. “I would like for you to avoid them at all costs.”

“But whyyyyyy?” Ruby whined. “They were so cool! Maybe our team could learn a thing or two from them!”

“Trust me on this one, Ruby, you don’t want to learn anything from them.” Her uncle muttered.

“Bu-But--”

“K.O! Soaring ninja WINS!” The screen announced, breaking the trio from their reverie.

“Nooooooo...” Ruby whimpered, dramatically clutching her chest. “I’ve been defeated! Uncle, how could you be so cruel?”

Qrow chuckled at her antics. “Practice more, and challenge me again in a couple of years kiddo, if we’re all still alive.”

“Ugh Uncle, stop being so depressing, just be happy you won against sis already!” Yang huffed, extending a hand to Ruby who grasped it gratefully. “You never did tell us what you did in your missions anyway. Why are you so paranoid?” She puffed out her (large) chest proudly. “You can trust us! We’re heroes now, you know!”

Qrow laughed. “Oh really?”

“Yeah!” Ruby replied indignantly from her spot on the floor. “We saved the city from the Grimm and Roman Torchwick a few times now already! That makes us heroes!”

“Ha.” Qrow snorted. “ I heard that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train. But they don’t give out medals for almost.”

“They do, and it’s called silver!” Ruby huffed indignantly.

“Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick!” Yang offered. “He’s locked up in Ironwood’s ship and crime’s been down ever since! That’s basically a bounty mission!”

“Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you’re not thinking like one.” Qrow shot back. “You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in a kingdom?”

Ruby sheepishly twiddled her fingers. “Ehhh… I mean… I did until you said that…”

“Violence hasn’t dropped since Roman got nabbed; it’s stopped, completely. No White Fang activity around the city. You cut off the head of the King Taijitu, but now the second head’s calling the shots. That’s what Ironwood can’t get through that thick metal head of his.” Qrow paused. “I guess that’s why Ozpin called that team in to deal with this mess.”

“Huh?” Ruby asked. “Who?”

“No one you need to be worried about.” Her uncle ruffled her hair affectionately. “Just concentrate on the tournament, and let the adults handle this.” He stood up, picking up his coat from the mess on the floor. “Just be careful, OK? Look after yourselves.”

Without another word, Qrow left the room, leaving the two to ponder over his words.

___________________

Shisui stood in the stands, overlooking the stadium. _This would’ve been a nice spot to look at the matches,_ he thought, _but then again, we aren’t here to sightsee._ He cast a light genjutsu over his eyes to cover his activated Sharingan. To his right, stood Itachi, his eyes also bleeding into red.

“Remember what taichou said.” The elder Uchiha whispered so that only his cousin would hear. “We need to look out for suspicious activity, whether that is in the stands, or in the arena. We should split up so that we cover more ground, but we will also need to– ”

“Hiiiiii!” Before Shisui could finish his sentence, he was suddenly engulfed in a bundle of red and black. Wriggling away, he freed his hands and detached the excitable thing from himself. “Hi I’m Ruby Rose, and I just watched your match, and OH MY GOD, you were so fast like BAM! And they were down! How did you even -- ”

“Ruby!” The silver eyed girl paused, interrupted by an half exasperated half irritated voice. “What do you think you’re doing?” Ruby let go of Shisui sheepishly, whirling around to face the white haired girl who had spoken.

The Schnee heiress. Shisui thought, thinking back to the data he had received in his scroll. So this must be the infamous Team RWBY.

“Oh hi there, Weiss! You see I was just – OW!”

Schnee pointedly jabbed her in the arm, ignoring her yelp of pain. She then turned to face the two shinobi. “I apologize for my teammate’s…” She paused to think of a word. “Obnoxiousness. I am Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. This is Ruby, lea— Wait, aren’t you that guy from this morning’s match?” The heiress stopped suddenly, her eyes glinting in a way that Shisui wasn’t sure he liked. “You’re Shisui right? And that’s Itachi?”

“Eheheheh… I guess?” The shinobi awkwardly scratched his head, trying to get out of this situation. “I mean, my cousin and I are really busy so w-- ”

“Oh, so Itachi is your cousin? So I guess your semblances really run in the family then!” Weiss pointedly ignored Shisui’s earlier comment, and blabbered on. “I watched your match, and I’ve done some research. Did you use dust to enhance your speed? Or is your semblance something else entirely? And how did Itachi stand on water? Was it his semblance or was it--”

“Whoa, slow down princess, you’re scaring them!” A busty blonde with purple eyes interrupted her tirade. Yang Xiao Long. Shisui’s mind supplied. Daughter of Tai Xiao Long and Raven Branwen from Team STRQ. “Heya, what’s up? Sorry for my two teammates. I’m Yang, nice to meet you.” She extended her hand in a greeting, a radiant smile lighting up her features.

Shisui briefly paused, before he returned the gesture, grasping her hand in a friendly handshake. “Shisui. The pleasure is mine.” He returned her grin, and nudged the other Uchiha forward. “This is Itachi, my cousin.”

“Hi there, Itachi, how are you?”

There was a long pause, as Itachi tried to duck behind his cousin. “…Good.”

“…You’re very sociable aren’t you.”

Shisui chuckled sheepishly. “He’s just shy, he normally isn’t like this.” Grabbing his cousin’s shoulders, he flipped him around and backed away. “Sorry, but we really are very busy, so we’ll see you--”

“Let’s go sit down and watch the next match together!” Ruby interjected, her enthusiasm seemingly infectious.

“Uhhh… Sorry, but we real--”

“Come ON!”

 

A few minutes later, the two shinobi were seated with Team RWBY, munching on popcorn and sipping on sodas.

“Ne, Shisui.” Itachi discreetly elbowed his cousin in the ribs. “Why are we sitting here when we should be collecting intel?” He whispered pointedly. “We can’t afford to waste our time with these girls--”

“Ah, little cousin, you simply do not understand the beauty of the fairer sex.” He sighed dramatically. “Besides,” he whispered, “I don’t think the heiress is willing to let us go just yet.” He stole a glance at the Schnee who was staring at them intently. “Just go along with it for now, little cousin. 

“…You just didn’t want to turn down a pretty girl, didn’t you.”

“Oh shut up!”

___________

Two lone figures stood in one of the darker alleyways of Beacon, away from the festivities and tournaments.

Kakashi slipped his mask on, the eerie face concealed in the shadows. Next to him, Tenzo did the same, the feline features of his face as menacing as ever. The copy nin slipped his fingers into his breastplate and pulled out a set of ear devices. “For comms.” He supplied. “Ozpin gave it to me before we left.”

Tenzo nodded gratefully, slipping the device into his ear, the device crackling to life. “Target is to collect intel on our enemy.” Senpai’s voice sounded clearly through the earpiece. “Qrow reported that all criminal activity had stopped completely. That’s not normal at all. There’s something going on – Something a lot more dangerous than the façade that Ozpin is putting up.”

Tenzo agreed. Something was fishy, and he wasn’t sure he liked what he was thinking. “I don’t think that the White Fang is behind this. It’s too quiet, and not at all like their style. Could this be that enemy you mentioned?”

A heavy sigh followed. “It probably is. But Ozpin is unwilling to disclose any more information on that. And for a good reason.” The copy nin paused here, lowering his voice even further. “Cat, trust no one. I know you already know this, but there are eyes and ears everywhere.” The copy nin ran a finger through his mop of gravity defying hair. “There’s something dreadfully wrong with this place, and it’s not just the Grimm or the faunus activists – Something a lot darker.”

“Qrow has relayed to us that there is some sort of disturbance happening near the ruins of Mountain Glenn.” The copy nin tapped his scroll, the screen soon lighting up with a hologram. “The city itself is filled with underground tunnels and sink holes, which is why I’m sending you in, because of your chakra affinity. Scout for any possible causes of the disturbances, but do not engage in combat – especially since we do not know what is causing this.” With another flick of his fingers, the scroll collapsed back on itself. “I’ll be scouting in the city – Qrow believes that there may be a White Fang meeting tonight. I’ll be infiltrating and gathering data.”

“Copy that, taichou.” Tenzo fixed his mask firmly over his face. “I’ll return in a few days or so, then. Divide and conquer?”

“Divide and conquer.”

And without another word, the shinobi slipped into the shadows.

____________

Back at the stadium, the two Uchihas were enjoying the match between CFVY and CMSN, which was proving to be interesting to say the least.

Though draining of chakra, Itachi once again activated his sharingan as the fashionista’s handbag morphed into a Gatling gun. _Interesting._ He thought. _No sealing or substitution – the handbag can actually morph into a gun. However,_ Itachi’s eyes darkened considerably. _The weapon is only as powerful as the person wielding it._

The fashionista was obviously not adept at hand-to-hand combat, as the silver haired teenager continually pushed her back. His speed was unparalleled, dodging every bullet he sent her away, going full offense against the opposing duo. The girl’s partner soon came to her defense, but an unexpected maneuver turned the fashionista’s Gatling against him. He has strong legs. The shinobi noted, thinking of the power needed behind that maneuver. He then paused when he noticed the lack of aura (and the lack of blood) flowing through his legs. Oh. Those are fake.

Itachi shot a glance at his cousin, who also seemed to have noticed. “I didn’t realize that in Remnant, you could replace your legs with machinery,” Shisui commented lightly. “But then again, Remnant is just full of surprises, isn’t it?” At first glance, the elder Uchiha’s smile seemed carefree, but Itachi knew better.

_What is it? He signed in the traditional Konoha signs._

__Something is off. Shisui replied, his eyes darting back to the arena. _Can you see where that Emerald girl is?__ _

___Itachi too turned his eyes back towards the match, Sharingan activated. _I… He paused, scanning every inch of the arena._ His brow furrowed when his eyes failed to detect her aura signature. _I… can’t?__ _ _

____Exactly. If you can’t see her either, then that means that the girl is either not here, or is hiding herself very well. She’d need a very strong genjutsu for the latter option, but luckily…_ Shisui’s eyes morphed into an unfamiliar pattern. _I have the mangekyou sharingan.__ _ _

____Itachi’s eyes widened. He had not expected his cousin to be using the mangekyou so early on in the mission. In fact, he had not expected the need to use the mangekyou in the first place._ _ _ _

____Shisui paused for a while, before: _There. By that copse of trees.__ _ _ _

____Itachi followed his gaze to the dense forest that took up half the arena. He focused on that point Shisui had pointed out, and sure enough, a faint aura signature was located on one of the branches. _If Shisui hadn’t pointed it out, I would not have noticed.__ _ _ _

_____This team is suspicious._ The curly haired Uchiha signed. _They are far too powerful to be academy students.__ _ _ _

_____Right. We’ll have to report to taichou when he returns then._ Itachi replied._ _ _ _

____“Oi!” The blonde sitting next to them (Yang?) interrupted. “Are you all right?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh yes, we are fine!” Shisui easily plastered a friendly smile on his face. “We were just amazed by how well they fight! It seems scary to know that we may be fighting them soon!”_ _ _ _

____Next to Yang, the Schnee snorted. “Are you kidding me? Your team was a lot better than that! Imagine how we feel sitting next to you two!” She huffed. “I still don’t get how you could take down team CRDL with such ease! I mean, we regularly beat them in spars…” She babbled on. “But still! It’s kind of frustrating you know!”_ _ _ _

____Shisui laughed nervously. “Hehehehe, is that so?”_ _ _ _

____“YES!” All four members of RWBY yelled._ _ _ _

____“Like, how did you guys even get so good--”_ _ _ _

____“It looked like you were teleporting, and even RUBY can’t reach that spee--”_ _ _ _

____“And how did you walk on water? My glyphs can’t ev--”_ _ _ _

____“You controlled your aura levels so well! You weren’t even halfw--”_ _ _ _

____“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Ladies, please calm yourselves.” Shisui held up his arms in a placating gesture, trying to lean away from the 4 girls who now towered over the seated Uchiha. “I’ll answer your questions later, so please, can we just enjoy the match?”_ _ _ _

____Weiss opened her mouth to object, but the cat faunus quickly interjected. “Of course. Sorry for that.”_ _ _ _

____Team RWBY reluctantly returned to their seats, and both Uchiha let out a sigh of relief. With all attention back on the arena, the shinobi continued observing the ongoing fight. The mistrali duo had managed to separate the duo from CFVY, and was successfully taking them down._ _ _ _

_____Hmm… Interesting henge… Or is that an illusion? Itachi noted as Emerald (disguised as Yatsuhashi) approached Coco. However, the fashionista was quick to notice that her partner had already been knocked out… But she was too slow to dodge the blow that knocked her out of the arena._ _ _ _ _

_____“And with that amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!” Dr. Oobleck announced, and the stadium roared with approval._ _ _ _ _

_____“What?” Ruby half-shrieked half-yelled. “How could Coco lose?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Yeah, I know right!” Yang also jumped to her feet. “They’ve gotta be one of the best teams at Beacon!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“How are we going to win against them?!” Weiss moaned despairingly. “Unless…” Her eyes shot to the Uchiha cousins sitting next to them. “We learn from those who are even better.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Shisui laughed nervously. “Hehehe, sorry what did you say?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Yeahhhhh…” Yang’s gaze also turned to the shinobi. “Weiss is right.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Ummmm…” Both Uchiha got to their feet and backed away slowly, as to not anger the four girls._ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh, I’m sure you won’t mind a little training session with us, would you?” Ruby smiled menacingly, inching forward. “Come on! Just a little spar…”_ _ _ _ _

_____Itachi suddenly spoke up in a hurried fashion, his fingers weaving the signs for a shunshin. “No! No! So sorry, but our team is waiting for us, wehavetogonowbye!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“OH NO YOU DON’T!” By an unspoken order, Team RWBY pounced, fingers grasping nothing but air as the shinobi hastily shunshin-ed away._ _ _ _ _

_____ _ _ _

_____\- - - OMAKE - - -_ _ _ _ _

_____Kakashi stared hard at his scroll._ _ _ _ _

_____His scroll stared back._ _ _ _ _

_____“GAAAAARGHH! I don’t understand!” The shinobi snapped, his hands flying up in frustration. “I just wanted to check up on that Icha Icha update! Is that too much too ask?”_ _ _ _ _

_____He jabbed his finger at his scroll. “I swear to kami, you will help me or I… I…” He paused. “I’ll ‘A-thousand-years-of-death’ your ass!”_ _ _ _ _

_____The whole room seemed to sweat drop._ _ _ _ _

_____“Senpai,” Tenzo started, “This is an electrical appliance. They do not have an ‘ass’, as you so eloquently put it. However they do ha--”_ _ _ _ _

_____“AAAARGH I DON’T CARE!” His hands flying up to muss up his already mussed up hair. “I JUST WANNA READ MY ICHA ICHA! IS THAT TOO MUCH TOO ASK?!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Taicho, please calm down.” Shisui stepped forward, warily eyeing his superior. “I’ll find out what it is, just relax.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Kakashi sniffed. “Well hurry up then.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Hai, hai.” Shisui sweat dropped. Then again, he had somewhat gotten used to the Copy nin’s antics. “Sharingan!” The blood red eyes scanned the device thoroughly. After a few minutes of close inspection, he deactivated his kekkei genkai with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I see nothing wrong with it. The circuits are still complete, and the individual pieces should be functional. Perhaps you simply do not know how to operate it, senpai?”_ _ _ _ _

_____Kakashi made a noise of frustration. “Ughhhhhh… Shisui, you are hereby demoted to doing D-ranks for the rest of your shinobi career.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Uhh, senpai, only the Hokage is allowe--”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Shut up!” The copy nin hissed. “Your incompetency is grating on my nerves. Itachi!” The younger Uchiha jolted. “You take a look then!”_ _ _ _ _

_____Itachi took a hesitant step forward. “Ummm… Taicho, if Shisui can’t do it, I don’t think--”_ _ _ _ _

_____Kakashi leveled a glare at him, leaking killing intent that could’ve killed an elephant. “I said: Take. A. Look. At. It. Shrimp.”_ _ _ _ _

_____The younger Uchiha’s eyes welled up with tears at his superior’s (unexpectedly) harsh words. “I… I’m NOT A SHRIMP!” Unable to stop the tears from dripping down his face, he bolted from the room. “TAICHO! YOU’RE SO MEANNNN!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Wait! Itachi!” Shisui reached for his younger cousin. He glared at the copy nin, before he too bolted out of the room. “Itachi! Come back!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Hmph.” Kakashi sniffed. “I guess I have two incompetent Uchiha on the team then. Tenzo! Fetch someone who could actually help.”_ _ _ _ _

_____The wood nin just sighed. How could this happen to meeeee~_ _ _ _ _

_____A few hours, and a lot of tears later, Shisui had managed to corner the still-sobbing Uchiha genius, and Tenzo had found a mechanic willing to put up with Kakashi’s bullshit._ _ _ _ _

_____“Hmmm…” The mechanic inspected the device, completely unfazed by the copy nin who was boring holes into his back. “I see nothing wrong with the scroll.”_ _ _ _ _

_____A vein on Kakashi’s forehead popped. The rest of Team KITS instinctively took a step back._ _ _ _ _

_____“I think you just forgot to switch it on.” The mechanic concluded._ _ _ _ _

_____“…What.” The room was still as Itachi uttered the word. “Would you care to repeat that please?”_ _ _ _ _

_____The mechanic did not seem to notice the killing intent wafting from the child. “I said that it’s not switched on. You see this button here?” He gestured at the circular button on the back of the device. “That switches the device on.” He pushed the button and the scroll lit up with a bright light. “See? All functional!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh?” Kakashi laughed nervously, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. “Is that all?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Yes!” The mechanic replied cheerily. “Now, if there are no more problems, I’ll be on my way now!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Wai--”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Senpai.” Tenzo spoke. “All that running around, all those accusations, and it turns out that YOU JUST DIDN’T SWITCH THE BLOODY THING ON?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!”_ _ _ _ _

_____Kakashi backed away nervously. “Let’s not be too hasty, eh?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“You made Itachi cry for no reason?” Shisui hissed. “You demoted me to D-ranks because of you didn’t SWITCH ON THE SCROLL?!”_ _ _ _ _

_____The copy nin sweated profusely. “Uhhh--”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Taicho?” A voice sounded from behind Kakashi. He gulped, slowly turning around to meet the blood red eyes of one very pissed Uchiha Itachi. “Run.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Kakashi didn’t need to be told twice._ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments! I do read and reply to all of them! :D
> 
> Additionally, if there is anyone wishing to co-author this fic, please drop me a message!


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